


Love's The Only Rule

by saddle_tramp



Series: Open All Night [2]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Child Custody Dispute, Child Neglect, M/M, Parent-Child Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-01
Updated: 2018-04-01
Packaged: 2019-04-16 12:36:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14164989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saddle_tramp/pseuds/saddle_tramp
Summary: I heard this song, and it started me thinking about Danny and Steve and Grace, and what happened after'Open All Night'.Inspired by these lines in particular:Run like it's a getaway,Say those things that you shouldn't say.Think about it, wouldn't that be cool,If love's the only rule?





	Love's The Only Rule

~*~*~*~

 

Danny was just relaxing and enjoying the ride as he drove the Camaro up One back towards the Pali Highway. Steve was sprawled in the passenger seat next to him, and they were both pretty pleased with themselves and their team.

A Yakuza lieutenant had shown up in Honolulu a couple of months ago with three nearly identical henchmen and proceeded to start killing drug dealers to take over their turf. The guy had been stealing their product and even their fields in the case of a few local marijuana growers, but the HPD had been handling it. Chasing after skirmishing drug dealers was not Five-0's job, especially not drug dealers who were just killing off the dregs of the island.

The Yakuza guy had prided himself on being a higher class of dealer who had several kids of his own, and he had made sure that the word spread he wouldn't tolerate dealers selling to kids. Anyone that didn't do as they were told was summarily shot, which made even drug dealers sit up and take notice. They might not fear the HPD very much, but the Yakuza was a completely different proposition and word had quickly gone out on the street that selling to kids on Oahu was hazardous to your health.

Steve had been of the opinion the new Yakuza guy was a big step up from the dealers the guy killed and Danny had to agree, so Five-0 had been staying well out of the case until an undercover cop had gotten involved. The young cop had only just finished his training and no one in the drug community knew him so he had no trouble insinuating himself deeply into the Yakuza's drug operation, but then he was suddenly killed and hung up on a palm tree outside HPD headquarters.

No one knew what the young officer had done wrong to get himself killed, but everyone agreed it was time that Five-0 stepped in to hunt down the bad guys. HPD had been trying to find the guy in charge for weeks by then, but they didn't have Kamekona's sources or Toast's dealer Reggie who turned out to be selling weed to the Yakuza guy in person once a week. Two days later, Five-0 had set up an ambush on Reggie's place and taken two men who showed up to pick up that weeks product, a couple local boys.

It had turned out that the locals who were buying from Reggie were brothers who had just lost a cousin that was selling weed to high school kids until the Yakuza boss shot him, and they were glad to turn on the new boss they hated. They took the Five-0 team right into the remote barn in Laulaupoe Gulch early that morning where they were to meet with the Yakuza lieutenant, who turned out to be Yoshitaro Ishii, a man that Steve recognized as one of Anton Hesse's old Yakuza contacts. Steve had shot and killed Ishii a few moments later while Danny, Chin, and Kono took down several flunkies, taking two alive to hopefully find out more about the operation.

An hour later, Five-0 had secured Ishii's stockpile of stolen drugs with the aid of a few borrowed SWAT officers and then gladly let the HPD narcotics squad take over the case. It was a beautiful day and the team had decided unanimously to call it a day even though it was just past noon when they got everything wrapped up. Kono was going to swing by her place and get her board, and Chin was going to a butcher shop run by Kamekona's family to pick up some meat for the grill, and then they all planned to meet on the beach behind Steve's for a 'team-building exercise'. Steve's official term for their afternoon barbecues didn't fool anyone, but they had no cases pending and would be just a call away no matter where they were on the island, so the governor pretended not to know.

Danny and Steve had already picked up the beer and some veggies and the makings for baked beans to go with whatever ended up on the grill, and they were cruising up One through Kaimuki when Steve's phone suddenly began to play a ship's whistle repeatedly. Danny glanced at Steve, surprised as Steve frowned and hurriedly dug his phone out of his pocket to answer it. "Gracie, what's wrong?"

Danny leaned closer to Steve to try to listen in, and he was just barely able to hear Grace's reply in the quiet car. She sounded very young as she said, "Dad, is Danno okay? He won't answer his phone."

"He's fine, honey. He's right here next to me," Steve said quickly, looking at Danny. Grace had only called him Dad a few times, and every time it had been when she was scared or upset. That added to the fact she was calling from the waterproof phone he had put in her bug-out bag made _Steve_ worried, though he tried hard to keep his voice calm so Grace wouldn't realize it. "His phone hasn't been ringing, sweetheart, the battery must have died. Is something wrong?"

"Mommy and Step-Stan flew to Nevada again yesterday and left me with Carletta, but I can't find her _anywhere_ ," Grace replied, sounding a little more upset. "I tried to call Danno, but his phone just goes to voicemail so I called you."

"You did the right thing, _kama lei_ ," Steve said as Danny flipped the switch to turn on the Camaro's pursuit lights, though he left the sirens off. Steve quickly braced one hand on the dash, sure what was going to happen next, and then Danny whipped the car around into a U-turn to start back towards Kahala. Steve wished he was the one driving as the Camaro slid into the curb, but he didn't comment and managed to keep his voice very calm as he told Grace, "We're on the way to come get you right now. Where are you?"

"When I couldn't find Carletta, I got kind of scared," Grace admitted quietly. "I got my bag and ran out back and climbed up in my tree just like you told me to do."

"Good girl," Steve said calmly. "Are you watching to make sure no one gets near you?"

"Yes, I am," Grace replied, still sounding worried. "I don't see anyone or hear anything but a few birds and the fountain by the pool." She hesitated, then added more quietly, "I'm worried about Carletta."

"I'm sure she's fine," Steve said soothingly, even though he wasn't sure of that at all. Carletta was the younger of the two women who worked for Rachel and Stan and hadn't been with them for long, but he still didn't think she would just up and leave Grace alone. She was a college student from London, the youngest sister of one of Rachel's friends from when she attended college herself, just before she met Danny. Carletta had worked as a nanny in London before she transferred to the University of Hawaii after she had heard Hawaii was in desperate need of pediatric nurses. Carletta only had two semesters left before she would get her degree, and Steve had gotten the impression she truly liked Grace.

"We're on the way, Gracie, don't worry," Danny said loudly, leaning towards Steve even though he didn't take his eyes off the road. He had seen One with much more traffic at other times, but even on a Thursday afternoon it was still one of the main roads on the south side of the island so there were plenty of other cars to dodge. The last thing he wanted was to get into an accident while Grace was on the phone with them. "You just stay put there where you're safe, okay?"

"I promise," Grace said quickly.

Steve pulled the phone away from his ear and put it on speaker, then held it in between he and Danny as he said calmly, "Stay on the phone with us, sweetie, but try not to make a lot of noise just in case, okay? Remember what we talked about?"

"I do," Grace agreed a little more quietly. "I got way up in my tree and wrapped my ghillie around me before I called with my emergency phone just like you told me to. I don't think anyone could see me up here."

"You did exactly right," Steve said firmly, glad Grace had paid attention to him even though he wished that it wasn't necessary to teach her how to hide. There had been a threat made to kidnap her and Rachel several months ago that they traced back to one of Stan's business connections, and even though nothing had actually happened Danny had been worried enough to let Steve teach Grace what to do if she thought there was a stranger in the house, though he had drawn the line when Steve wanted to give her a tiny .22 derringer. Grace was almost ten and Steve had made sure she knew how to use a handgun, but not wanting her to have one of her own was just about the only thing Danny and Rachel agreed on these days.

"Just sit still, Monkey," Danny said quickly then, trying to sound calm but failing miserably. "We'll be there soon, I promise."

"I'm okay, Danno," Grace said softly. "I got scared because I was in my hideout reading this morning and fell asleep, and when I woke up and went down to ask about lunch she was gone. Everything's quiet and nothing was broken or anything, but the alarm is turned off and the front door was open a little bit."

Grace's 'hideout' was really a panic room, accessed only by a well-hidden door in her closet. Grace had declared it her hideout when she found the room not long after they moved in, and had painted it herself with the help of her previous nanny, a local woman who had turned out to be a talented artist. The walls looked like trees with colorful birds and small animals hidden in the branches, and the carpeted floor was buried under blankets, fake furs, and pillows in shades of green and brown with the ceiling painted to look like a night sky, complete with stars in a special paint that glowed in the dark. Rachel and Stan would have preferred that Grace hid in the panic room when she got scared, but Grace felt safer outdoors and Steve and Danny both agreed with her. In a panic room with only one door she would have nowhere to go if she was found, but few adults could catch her if she was outdoors and didn't want caught. She was fast and had earned the nickname Monkey, and Grace could disappear into the brushy creek bottom behind Stan and Rachel's home in moments if she thought it was necessary. 

"You did the right thing, Gracie," Danny said firmly, taking the turn off One onto Kealaolu Avenue. It was only a few more miles to Stan and Rachel's mansion, but he had to slow down when he left the highway because traffic moved much slower.

"What was Carletta doing today, Gracie?" Steve asked.

"When I went upstairs she said she was going to clean the kitchen," Grace replied softly. "She was in a bad mood today and told me to stay in my room out of her way."

"Did she say why she was unhappy?" Danny asked, frowning.

"No, she was grouchy when I got up this morning," Gracie replied. "I thought it was probably because she had to miss school. Mrs. Lanakai's daughter had her baby yesterday and she's supposed to be back tomorrow evening, but until then it's just me and Carletta. Mommy said she and Step-Stan would be back Sunday."

Steve frowned, not liking the fact Rachel had left Grace alone with Carletta without telling them, but he didn't say anything. He could tell from Danny's scowl that he wasn't happy either as Danny said, "You're gonna come stay with us, Monkey. We'll gather up whatever you want when we get there, okay?"

"Thank you, Daddy," Grace said quietly. "I'd rather stay with you."

They all were quiet a few moments then, and Danny had just turned onto the street where Rachel and Stan lived when Grace whispered, "Danno, I hear a really loud radio. I think it's coming up the driveway."

"Just stay put, baby," Danny said firmly. "We're almost there. I can see the mailbox."

The automatic gate across the driveway was open, and as they got closer Danny and Steve could hear the radio blaring too. When they turned into the driveway they saw a Mitsubishi Eclipse convertible parked near the front walk with Carletta and a young dark-haired man in it, their backs towards the street as they passed a thick hand-rolled cigarette between them. The two in the convertible didn't even hear the Camaro approaching, oblivious to everything but the loud music they were nodding along with while they smoked.

"You gotta be fuckin' kidding me!" Danny growled as he parked behind the convertible. He jumped out without another word to stalk towards the Eclipse, as pissed as he had been in a long time as he realized Carletta had left Grace all alone to go hang out with some guy and get high.

"What's wrong?" Grace asked, sounding more scared.

Steve turned off the speaker, putting the phone back to his ear as he said calmly, "Everything's okay, _kama lei_. We're out front." He reached to turn off the Camaro, then switched his phone to his left hand to open his door to get out of the car. "It's safe to come down now. You did perfect."

Danny had reached the Eclipse's driver's side and leaned into the car, stopping the music abruptly as he jerked the keys out of the ignition and said angrily, "You two fuckwits are under arrest!"

The young man in the driver's seat froze, the poorly-rolled joint still in his hand, but Carletta tried to talk their way out of it. "But Danny, we were just--" she started to say, but Danny flung up his hand as he cut her off.

"Do _not_ talk to me right now, Carletta!" Danny exclaimed angrily. "We'll start with drug charges and child endangerment, and you better hope to Hell you don't piss me off any more or I'll find something else to charge you with, I swear to God. Just sit still and do not say a _word_ until HPD gets here or I will forget you're not much more than a child yourself!"

Carletta started crying then, but she didn't try to talk again as the young man she had been smoking with slumped in his seat next to her, looking scared enough that Danny thought the kid might start crying too.

"Danno sounds _really_ mad," Grace said quietly, a little surprised and awed.

"Only because he is, sweetheart," Steve said, slightly amused despite everything. "Hang up and put your ghillie away, then climb down and come to the front door, okay? We're right outside."

"Yes sir," Grace said quickly. "I won't be long."

"Be careful climbing down," Steve said a bit more firmly.

"Promise," Grace replied, then she hung up.

Steve walked over to Danny, who had pulled his phone from his pocket and was poking angrily at it. Danny didn't look at him, but when Steve got closer he growled, "Fuckin' phone was still on _silent_. She tried to call _five times_ and I didn't even know. It's no wonder she got scared and ran." He put the phone to his ear then, finally looking at Steve. "I'm glad you remembered to turn _yours_ back on."

"I forgot to turn it off today," Steve admitted a little wryly.

Danny held up one finger, looking back at the two in the car. "Yeah, this is Detective Danny McGarrett of Five-0. I need a uniform at three-nineteen Aukai Avenue in Kahala _immediately_ to arrest my daughter's nanny and her boyfriend on drug charges, child endangerment, and anything else I think of by the time they get here." He paused, listening, then snorted. "Of _course_ I'll wait for them to arrive, but tell them to step on it. If I have to look at these two for too long I won't be responsible for what happens to them." He waited a moment longer and then lowered the phone, thumbing the power button as he glared at Carletta and the boy she was with. "You two will sit _very_ still and wait patiently for your ride 'cause I am armed and I am _extremely_ pissed at you right now, and I might be tempted to shoot you for trying to _escape_ , _capisce_?"

"Yes sir," the young man said instantly, looking even more scared. "Whatever you say, sir."

"We'll do as we're told, Mr. McGarrett," Carletta added softly, still sniffling.

Danny glared at them a moment longer and then moved away towards the house, waving towards the convertible. "Babe, watch those two while I go help our baby girl get her things. If I stay out here I'm gonna hurt someone."

"She's likely on the way inside by now," Steve pointed out, trying not to smile. He was sure that Danny wouldn't _actually_ hurt Carletta or her boyfriend, but the boyfriend obviously didn't know that. "I told her it was safe."

Danny didn't say anything, just opening the still-unlocked front door to the house and disappearing inside.

Steve looked at Carletta then, catching the girl's eye before he said, "You _do_ realize you'll do time for this if you can't pay the fines, right?"

Carletta started crying harder as she blurted, "I just wanted to see my boyfriend!"

"And _smoke up_ ," Steve added pointedly, "while you left Gracie all alone thinking someone _kidnapped you_ , scaring her half to death, which scared _us_. You could have done something stupider if you tried, but it wouldn't be easy."

"She was asleep!" Carletta said quickly, crying. "I thought I'd be back before she woke up!"

"Well, you were wrong!" Steve said a bit more sharply, "and now you and your boyfriend are both going to jail. I hope it was worth it."

"I didn't know she left Grace behind," the boyfriend said then, upset and obviously scared. "She told me she was alone today!"

Steve snorted, not surprised that he could already hear a siren approaching. Danny and Steve had a definite reputation for losing it when people endangered Grace and HPD would want to get the people responsible into their custody before Danny or Steve did something stupid. "You're still _both_ going to jail. How much weed have you got in the car? And keep in mind HPD _will_ be searching it with the drug dogs."

The boyfriend swallowed hard and then admitted, "About half a pound."

Steve looked towards the street as an HPD cruiser cut the siren and turned into the driveway, then back at Carletta's boyfriend. "Kiss this car goodbye, kid."

The boyfriend stared at Steve for a moment, then looked at Carletta as he asked angrily, "Why didn't you just wake her up to go with us like she usually does? Then she wouldn't have called her dad and we'd be fine!"

"Shut up!" Carletta said quickly, still crying. "You're the one who took so long getting the weed!"

The boyfriend scowled at her a moment longer and then looked at the steering wheel of his car. " _You're_ the one who called _me_ and said you were crampy and needed to smoke up! I was supposed to work for my aunt this afternoon, she's gonna _kill_ me."

Steve turned away, walking towards the police cruiser that had just parked next to the Camaro. He didn't recognize the officer that hurriedly got out of the car, but that wasn't unusual and Steve didn't wait for an introduction before he said firmly, "Sergeant, arrest these two on possession of marijuana, child endangerment, operating a vehicle while under the influence, and possession and use of drug paraphernalia. The guy says he's got about eight ounces stashed in the car, but make a note to have the drug dogs search it anyway to make sure he's not 'forgetting' anything, okay?"

"Of course, Commander McGarrett," the officer said quickly. He leaned into his car to retrieve a citation book and then started towards the Eclipse as he added, "There's a car on the way to take them into custody and back to headquarters, but I was cruising Kahala Mall and dispatch said to take them off your hands as quick as possible."

"Good," Steve said with a nod and a wry smile. "I'll let you handle it then, Sergeant."

"Yes sir," the sergeant agreed.

Steve turned away to head quickly towards the house without another word, tuning out the officer as he asked Carletta's boyfriend for his license and registration.

 

~*~*~

 

Danny was still seething as he walked into Rachel's house, getting only as far as the main staircase before he heard the French doors close in the den and then the sound of running feet. Grace appeared a moment later, the small camouflage pack Steve had given her slung over one shoulder as she ran to Danny and threw her arms around him.

"I'm sorry to call you at work, Danno," Grace mumbled, hiding her face against his chest as she held on tightly. "I just got so _scared."_

"Hey, no, you have _no_ reason to be sorry," Danny said quickly, holding her tight as he ducked to kiss her hair. "You did _exactly right,_ baby girl."

Grace squeezed a little tighter and then pulled away to look up at him. "You're sure?"

"Very," Danny said firmly. "I always want you to call me if you get left alone. That's not supposed to happen, your momma _promised_."

Grace bit her lip, chewing on it a moment before she admitted, "It does though."

Danny frowned. "Since when?"

Grace shrugged slightly. "Since school got out for the summer. Mrs. Lanakai has errands to run almost every day and Carletta's got classes in the mornings, so Mrs. Lanakai has me lock the doors and stay in my room until she gets back. She calls before she comes in when she gets home, so I'll know it's her."

"And does your mother know about this?" Danny asked carefully, trying to hide how angry it made him to realize that Grace was spending so much of her summer alone in her room. Part of the custody agreement was that Rachel would make sure Grace was never left home alone, not for any reason. The fact Rachel and Stan could afford to get Grace a full-time nanny had been why their most recent custody agreement still gave Danny only weekends instead of fully shared custody.

"Mommy leaves me home alone sometimes, too," Grace admitted. "She says I'm a big girl now, I don't need watched all the time."

"You don't need left alone in your room all the time, either," Danny said, frowning. "It's Carletta's _job_ to spend the day with you."

"It's not _all_ the time," Grace pointed out. "Sometimes I go with Carletta and Johnny to the park or to the beach."

"Johnny?" Danny repeated, eyebrows going up.

"Carletta's boyfriend," Grace explained quickly. "He's really nice to me and says I remind him of his baby sister, Sicily."

Danny could faintly hear a siren approaching but he ignored it, sure Steve had everything under control outside. He was pretty sure he didn't want to know the answer to his next question, but he felt like he had to ask anyway. "I'm gonna ask something and I want the absolute truth, Monkey, no matter what, alright?"

"I always tell you the truth, Danno," Grace said softly. "Promise."

Danny stroked her hair. "Good girl, I'm glad." He leaned down to kiss her forehead and then looked seriously into her eyes as he asked, "Do they ever smoke around you, Grace?"

Grace nodded. "Not _close_ to me, but where I can see them, sometimes. They tell me to go play and then sit in his car and share a cigarette Johnny makes special for them." She hesitated for a long moment and then added more quietly, "They don't smoke as much as Mommy does, though."

Danny stared at her. "Your mother started smoking again?"

"Yes, but I wasn't supposed to tell you," Grace said softly, unhappy and a little worried. "Mommy said that you would get mad at me if I did."

Danny snorted. "She's not worried about me getting mad at _you_ , baby girl. She just said that so you wouldn't tell me." He heard the front door then and looked towards it to see Steve walk inside, leaving the door open as he walked towards them. "She had promised not to ever smoke again, especially around you, so she didn't want me to know she broke that promise too."

"Can I help carry?" Steve asked, smiling even though he was a little concerned.

"Yeah, you can," Danny said quickly, making a decision as he looked back at Grace. "We're packing your things, Monkey. You're going to stay with me and Steve for a while."

"Until Sunday?" Grace asked, looking hopeful.

"At least that long," Danny agreed, fighting down the urge to say forever. He tried to never tell Grace she could have something he wasn't sure he could make happen for her.

"Would you like to stay longer?" Steve asked, surprising Danny.

Grace bit her lip, hesitating as she looked at Steve and then said very softly, "Yes, but Mommy has custody so I'm not allowed. I only get to have weekends."

"Yeah, well, custody papers can be changed," Danny said firmly, still a little surprised. Grace looked back at him, obviously hopeful, and Danny added, "If you want to stay with us more often then we'll start looking for a way to make that happen _today_ , baby girl."

Grace threw her arms around Danny, hugging him tightly. "I'd like that _very_ much, Danno. I want to be with you _always_."

Danny held her close, meeting Steve's gaze over her head as he said, "Then we'll just have to see what we can do about it."

"Yes, we will," Steve agreed firmly.

 

~*~*~

 

"Let me get this perfectly straight, Detective McGarrett," Judge Janice Yamamoto said, frowning at Danny. "You found out yesterday that your ex-wife hired Miss Sahay as a nanny even though she was arrested last year for public intoxication _and_ failed a drug test for her previous employer, and that Mrs. Edwards left your nine year old daughter in the custody of Miss Sahay without informing you while Mrs. Edwards and her husband left not just the island, but _the state_?"

"Yes ma'am," Danny agreed, keeping his temper firmly under control. "They're in Las Vegas."

Steve had called the governor to ask for help getting them an emergency appointment with a judge in the Family Court first thing that morning, and once Judge Yamamoto had heard why they needed to talk to her she had been quick to make room in between cases to see them. She had the current custody agreement between Danny and Rachel on her desk when Danny arrived, along with Carletta's record, and she had obviously already read both of them. It had been a shock for Danny and Steve the day before to find out Carletta had been arrested before, but it was the known history with drugs that they were both most upset about. They had trusted Rachel's judgment when she chose a nanny for Grace, and it was a rude awakening to realize that they shouldn't have.

"And you weren't made aware of any of this?" Judge Yamamoto asked, still frowning.

"No ma'am," Danny replied. "All Rachel told me when she hired Carletta -- Miss Sahay -- was that she was the younger sister of an old friend of Rachel's and that she had transferred to Hawaii to finish her schooling because there's such a demand here for pediatric nurses. Rachel's always on my case, saying crap about how me being a cop makes it dangerous for Grace to be around me, so I expected her to be _careful_ about who she hires to watch over my baby girl." He paused and then added, "It turns out there's a lot more I didn't know too, though. Rachel has been telling Grace not to tell me things and it's her _mom_ so Grace didn't tell me until I caught Carletta smoking weed in Rachel's front yard and started asking questions."

Judge Yamamoto shifted in her chair, sitting back and folding her hands across her stomach. "What kinds of things?"

"Well, that Rachel's been leaving Grace home alone, for one thing," Danny replied. "Evidently she and the people who work for her send Grace to her room most every morning and then just _leave_. Grace told me yesterday she's been spending a couple hours alone in the house almost every day since she got out for summer even though it says in the custody papers that Rachel's supposed to see that she's not left unsupervised _at all_. She got custody by using my job against me, saying I'd have to put Grace in daycare with strangers, and then here she is not even bothering to make sure Grace has someone with her at all, they're just sending her to her room and _leaving_."

"I agree that's not acceptable for a girl Grace's age," Judge Yamamoto said, "especially considering the threats that were made recently because of Mr. Edwards' business dealings. Does Grace _know_ about the kidnapping threats?"

"Yes ma'am," Danny answered. "That's why she called my husband and I when she woke up from a nap and Carletta was gone. She found the alarm off and the front door open when she went looking for her, and she was worried Carletta had been kidnapped." He swallowed back the angry words that wanted to come spilling out as he remembered how scared Grace had sounded, then added, "She was pretty scared, but she kept her head and hid just like we taught her to, then called us."

"Where did she hide?" Judge Yamamoto asked, curious.

"In a tree in the back yard," Danny replied. "She and Steve put together a small bug-out backpack for her that she grabbed on her way out. It has water, some energy bars, a knife, matches, and a waterproof cell phone we got her just for emergencies." He smiled slightly. "And her ghillie."

Judge Yamamoto blinked, surprised as she repeated, "Ghillie?"

"Yeah, it's this camo thing Steve made for her," Danny replied. "Military snipers use them, it looks kind of like a Spanish moss poncho with fake leaves tied into it to make it blend into the local scenery. When she's up in her tree and wraps up in it, you can't see her at all unless you get close. She's fast and smart, and she feels safer outside where she can run away from strangers instead of getting cornered in the house. The tree is off by itself near the back of Stan and Rachel's property so she can see if anyone tries to get near her long before they can see her."

Judge Yamamoto stared at Danny for several moments and then said quietly, "Your Grace sounds like a very tough little girl."

"She is," Danny agreed with a wry little smile. "Tougher than I want her to be, really, but times like yesterday I'm really glad her heroes are Steve and one of our co-workers, Detective Kono Kalakaua. Kono was competing in martial arts and surfing competitions by the time she was five, and Gracie idolizes her. She likes to tell people she's going to be just like Kono when she grows up, only she wants to be a martial artist, surfer, and marine biologist instead of a cop or a SEAL like Steve."

Judge Yamamoto smiled at that, amused. "I've met Detective Kalakaua and your Grace could do much worse, I'm sure." He smile faded a little as she asked, "You mentioned there was more though, Detective McGarrett. What else has been going on with your daughter that worries you?"

"Call me Danny, please," Danny said, his smile fading too. "And it's just...  It's a lot of things, Judge. I just found out Rachel's been smoking around Grace even though she and I both quit when she got pregnant with Gracie and promised that we'd never do that. When I ask Grace about her week all I hear about is school and her riding lessons on Tuesdays unless I ask about her mom, and even then usually what I hear is how busy Rachel was with 'more important things'. Rachel _never_ knows what Grace has been studying in school because Grace hardly ever sees her, and then when she does Rachel keeps pushing Grace into doing things _Rachel_ is interested in. She's making Grace take ballet and violin even though Grace hates both, and she keeps putting her in beauty pageants and dressing her up in make-up and heels and taking her to society brouhahas even though I think Grace is too young for it, and yeah, okay, she's got Grace taking riding lessons too, which Gracie loves, but she doesn't ever bother to ask if Grace _wants_ any of it. Rach insists that Grace will thank her for it later and that she's giving her a 'solid foundation', but in the meantime Grace is miserable a lot more than I want her to be. Gracie's not five anymore, she's nearly ten and a very smart little girl and I think she should have some choice in what she does with her free time."

"What do _you_ do when you have Grace, Danny?" Judge Yamamoto asked.

"All kinds of things," Danny replied. "She's always texting me and Steve to talk about what she wants to do next time she's allowed to see us. Like last weekend Steve's best friend, Catherine, was in port on leave and Cath had mentioned to Grace she loves to ride, so Gracie wanted to go up to the North Shore on Saturday to go riding on the beach with her, and then on Sunday we all went to the movies and then the girls dragged me and Steve to the mall to play in the Build-A-Bear shop for like three hours." He smiled at the memory, adding, "Gracie made herself a cowgirl bear and then decided Steve needed a teddy bear too since he never had one as a kid. She made him one wearing sunglasses and Navy whites, and you should've seen Steve's face. He loved it. It's on his dresser at home now right next to his favorite picture of me and Grace, and every time he looks at it he grins like the giant goof he is deep down."

Judge Yamamoto was smiling by the time he finished. "What about the last holiday that you had Grace? What did you do then?"

"That was spring break," Danny said quickly, grinning suddenly. "Rachel and Stan went to his hotel in Taiwan, but Grace didn't want to go and Rach had her for spring break last year so they let her stay with us. Steve and I got the week off and we took Grace to Moloka'i and had a blast getting lost in the rainforest while Steve taught her tracking and how to hunt and to survive in the woods. I hated the idea when Grace and Steve outvoted me and declared we were going, but I ended up loving it too. It was great to be so far from the work we do every day, just the three of us all alone and having fun. _I_ even learned a lot about tracking, and that's not easy for a city boy from Jersey."

"And did Grace like hunting?" Judge Yamamoto asked, smiling.

Danny laughed. "Well, yeah, but not like you probably mean. The only thing we killed all week was my phone when I managed to fall in a creek and land on it, but we got about a million pictures with Steve and Grace's phones and the digital camera I took along. The day before we left she and Steve managed to sneak up within a few feet of a couple of baby deer and Steve got some awesome photos of her with them." He grinned. "See, we're all meat eaters in our family, and sometimes Steve and Kono go hunting when wild game is especially plentiful, but Grace has a policy. None of us get to eat anything that she saw breathing unless it's seafood, so we went out knowing we wouldn't be eating any animals we found."

Judge Yamamoto chuckled softly. "Many men would have hunted anyway and considered it a life lesson for their child."

"Not us, Judge," Danny said, shaking his head. "Grace loves animals and would have been crying for _days_ and Steve and I would both do just about anything to avoid upsetting her if we don't have to. It wasn't hard to pack in our food. Steve got some fancy MRE type meals that were light and actually pretty good, and we had fresh fruit and greens Steve and Gracie foraged along the way."

"It sounds like Grace had a wonderful trip with her Dad," Judge Yamamoto said, smiling at Danny.

"She did," Danny agreed, smiling. "Steve is usually Dad, though. Gracie calls me Danno or Daddy."

"And your ex-wife's husband?" Judge Yamamoto asked, looking down as she made a note.

"Grace calls him Step-Stan," Danny replied. "See, when Rachel first got with him, she and I were married and living in Jersey within a few blocks of everyone Grace and I had ever known, including lots of family we both love dearly. Rachel kicked me out when I got home from work one night out of the blue then moved her and Grace in with Stan a few days later and filed for divorce. Grace was really upset that they took her away from me, and then when the divorce went through and she was forced to move to Hawaii, she blamed it all on Stan. Rachel married him right after that, but Grace avoids him when she can and still doesn't hug him unless he or Rachel tells her to. He tried to bribe her to call him Daddy instead of me, and Grace got pretty upset he tried to  _buy_ her love. I doubt she'll ever forget it."

"And Steve?" Judge Yamamoto asked.

"I met him eight months after Rachel left me, give or take a few weeks," Danny replied. "I followed Gracie here as soon as I could and got a job with HPD, and I worked as a detective with them until Steve's father was murdered by a seriously evil terrorist named Hesse that Steve had been chasing all over the world for more than five years. The case was assigned to me, and when Steve got here for the funeral the governor asked him to lead a task force to handle people like Hesse who were too much for regular beat cops to deal with. Steve agreed and hired me the next day to help him run it, and then we hired Chin and Kono and Five-0 was born."

Judge Yamamoto smiled, amused by how Danny simplified it all. "I wasn't asking how you met him, I wanted to know when _Grace_ met him."

"I told Grace about my new boss a few days after Steve and I met, but they didn't actually meet each other until the next month," Danny replied. "See, Stan's expensive lawyers got custody for Rachel in the divorce and they managed to get my visitation rights cut to just one weekend a month, and Rachel didn't let me have a minute more with Grace than she absolutely had to then. I had a weekend with Grace a few days after I joined Five-0 when I told her about everyone, but she didn't meet Steve, Kono, and Chin until we all went to a football game together the next month."

"And how did Grace react when you and Steve told her there was more to it than friendship?" Judge Yamamoto asked.

Danny smiled wryly. "That wasn't until a few months later. Steve and I were spending all our time together from the start, pretty much, but we were working most of the time and we both tried to ignore the rest until Rachel decided not to let me see Grace one weekend. She called me at work an hour before I was supposed to pick up my baby girl and said I couldn't have her and made some threats about getting my visitation rights revoked completely, and I kinda freaked out because I didn't have the money to get a lawyer that could compete with the ones Stan keeps on retainer. Steve wanted to know why I was so upset and when I told him what was going on, he decided to fix it. He went to the governor and asked her to help and then she had a long talk with Stan and Rachel a few days later about it. They let me have Grace the next time it was my weekend and Rachel mentioned speaking with Steve and Pat, and then when I went to thank Steve for his help after Grace went back to Rach he and I finally talked about the elephant in the room, but we didn't tell Gracie for about another month."

"How did she react when you did?" Judge Yamamoto asked, smiling as she wondered if Danny knew she had been the judge Pat spoke to about helping him get custody the first time, too.

"Grace wasn't nearly as surprised as I thought she'd be," Danny admitted a little sheepishly. "She said she knew I loved him because sometimes when I talked to her about him it made me smile like I used to before Rachel broke my heart. It wasn't five minutes before Gracie was hugging Steve and telling him she was glad he was going to help her take care of me." He smiled wryly. "I had a blown knee at the time and they started ganging up on me right from the start, and I'm not seeing any sign it'll ever stop. They agree on most everything except the color pink and Justin Bieber."

Judge Yamamoto laughed and then smiled warmly at Danny as she said, "I think I've heard enough, Danny. Would you go send Grace in? I'd like to speak to her alone, if that's alright."

"Of course," Danny agreed, nodding as he stood up quickly. "I'll wait outside with Steve."

"That would be perfect, thank you," Judge Yamamoto agreed.

Danny walked quickly out of her office, smiling at Steve and Grace when he saw them waiting on the bench across from the door. Grace was curled up against Steve's side holding his hand tightly in both of hers as they looked at him, both looking calm but serious. "The judge needs to talk to you, Monkey," Danny said quietly as he crossed the hall towards them, smiling. "Don't worry, she just wants to ask some questions."

"Okay, Danno," Grace agreed quietly, letting go of Steve's hand and then getting up.

"Just go on in," Danny said gently, putting his hand on her shoulder for a moment. "It'll be fine."

Grace nodded, giving him a quick hug before she walked across the hall and into the judge's office, closing the door.

Danny sat down next to Steve, looking at him silently for a moment before Steve murmured with a slight smile, "It'll be fine."

Danny snorted slightly, smiling. "I just said that."

"And you were right," Steve agreed, reaching for Danny's hand to tangle their fingers together.

Danny gave Steve's hand a firm squeeze, settling back next to him on the bench and looking at the door to Judge Yamamoto's chambers as he silently prayed it really _would_ be alright.

 

~*~*~

 

"Close the door, please."

Grace bit her lip as she closed the door behind her, and the judge smiled gently at her. "It's okay, Grace. Come have a seat." She pointed to the chair across from her where Danny had been sitting, and Grace quickly moved to sit down. "I'm Judge Yamamoto, and I just need to ask you a few things. Can I count on you to tell me the truth?"

"Yes ma'am," Grace replied quietly. "I promise."

"Good girl," Judge Yamamoto said, smiling. "Do you know why you're here today?"

"Because I want to stay with my Danno and Daddy Steve," Grace replied immediately.

"And why is that?" Judge Yamamoto asked gently.

"Because when I'm with them I get to have fun and be with the _ohana_ , I don't have to be alone in my room so much like I am in Step-Stan's house," Grace said quietly. "Momma's not home much and Carletta's only there a few hours a day, and Mrs. Lanakai says she was hired to cook and clean, not to babysit."

Judge Yamamoto looked down, making a note, then looked back at Grace and asked seriously, "Do they ever leave you alone in the house, Grace? The absolute truth now, not what you think I need to hear."

"Yes ma'am," Grace said softly. "Mrs. Lanakai goes out every morning to do the shopping for whatever Momma and Step-stan told her they want to eat that day, and Momma's usually busy with Step-Stan's hotel downtown. Sometimes even if Mommy is home when Mrs. Lanakai leaves, she sends me to my room so she can leave, too."

Judge Yamamoto folded her hands on the desk in front of her. "Do you like living with your mother, Grace?"

Grace hesitated for a long moment before she admitted very softly, "No. It's like living in a hotel or something. I'm not supposed to play anywhere but my room because Mommy says I'll make a mess and if someone comes by it'll embarrass her if the house isn't perfect. Step-Stan says kids are supposed to be seen and not heard, so when I'm downstairs I have to sit quietly somewhere out of the way and read or do my homework unless they're watching TV in the den."

"And what is it like when you go stay with your Daddy and his husband?" Judge Yamamoto asked gently.

Grace brightened a little, still quiet but obviously happier as she thought about it. "I get to be with them all the time unless they get called for a case, and that hardly ever happens because Kono and Chin take care of things when it's my weekend so Dad and Danno can be with me more. We play on the beach and go swimming, and we watch movies together, and go on long walks, and sometimes we talk for _hours_."

"And what happens if they do have to leave?" Judge Yamamoto asked.

"Then Danno and Steve take me back to Mommy if she's home, or they let me stay with Kamekona or with Aunt Mary," Grace replied. "She's Steve's sister."

Judge Yamamoto smiled. "It sounds like you like it there."

"I _love_ it there," Grace corrected. "Steve and Danno's house and their beach is my favorite place in the whole world. I'd rather be there than _anywhere_ else."

"Even if that makes your mother unhappy, Grace?" Judge Yamamoto asked.

Grace hesitated again, thinking about it, then said more quietly, "Mommy doesn't really want to be with me all the time, she just doesn't want Danno to win. I heard Step-Stan say so once and Mommy didn't argue with him, she just told him to be quiet." She hesitated, then added, "And Mommy doesn't care a lot of the time when  _I'm_ unhappy. Danno and Steve do, they _always_ want to fix it. Mommy's usually too busy."

Judge Yamamoto sighed. "I'm sorry, Grace. It sounds like someone should have asked you what you thought about all of this a long time ago. From what I'm hearing you would have been better off with your Danno from the start."

"Me and Danno would have stayed in Jersey if he got custody then," Grace said quickly, but then she frowned. "But he never would have met Steve, which would be awful. He and Danno love each other a whole lot." She thought about that a moment and then said, "I've been lonely a lot since Mommy broke Danno's heart and made us move here, but it's worth it for Danno to have Steve now. They need each other really bad, just like Danno and I do."

"What about you and Steve?" Judge Yamamoto asked.

"I love him almost as much as I love Danno," Grace replied without hesitation. "Daddy Steve is _wonderful_ , he loves us more than anything and says we're the best thing that ever happened to him. He would even _die_ for us but Danno says he's not allowed, not unless Danno loses it and shoots Dad himself." Judge Yamamoto laughed at that and Grace grinned, adding, "Danno never would, he loves Steve almost as much as he loves me, which is a _lot_. Auntie Kono says that they have the happily ever after fairytale kind of love."

Judge Yamamoto smiled. "I'm glad to hear it." She stood up and started around her desk as she said, "I think I've heard all I need to, Grace. Let's go talk to your dads, okay?"

Grace nodded and jumped up, walking to the office door and opening it. Steve and Danny stood up when they saw her and Grace hurried across the hallway to hug Danny tightly without a word.

Judge Yamamoto followed Grace out of her office and across the hall to stand near Danny, Steve, and Grace, watching them as Danny hugged Grace and Steve rested one hand on Grace's back, both men ignoring her completely to look at Grace. She smiled wider and nodded to herself, then said, "I think we're done here, gentlemen."

Danny and Steve both looked at her as Grace turned to look up at Judge Yamamoto, all three of them still pressed close together as Steve echoed, "Done?"

Judge Yamamoto smiled at Danny and Steve as she went on. "I still have to draw up the actual paperwork, which I won't have time to do until after lunch I'm afraid, but as far as I'm concerned this matter is settled." She met Danny's gaze, adding, "As of now you have full custody and your ex-wife's visitation rights will be at _your_ discretion, Detective McGarrett. I feel confident in your ability to do what is best for _Grace_ to ensure her happiness and well-being."

"Always," Danny agreed, suddenly grinning wide and happy. " _Thank you_ , ma'am. You have no idea what a weight you've lifted off us."

"I don't know how we could have made her go back now that we know they were leaving her all alone," Steve agreed, smiling. "It was bad enough before just knowing how unhappy she was."

"I feel safe in saying she won't be unhappy or alone anymore," Judge Yamamoto said, smiling. She looked down at Grace, who was still clinging to Danny even though she had turned so she was between he and Steve. "I'm sorry it took so long to fix things for you, child."

Grace beamed at Judge Yamamoto. "Thank you for letting me stay with Danno and Steve, ma'am. It's what I've wanted for the longest time."

"You're very welcome, Grace," Judge Yamamoto replied with a warm smile for Grace, then she lifted her gaze to Danny and Steve. "Now if you'll excuse me, I really must go. I was due in court ten minutes ago. I'll send a copy of the custody papers to Five-0 Headquarters as soon as I have a chance to get them written up, but please do find out for me where Mrs. Edwards is so I can send her copy to her as well."

"I'll have that information for you by this evening," Steve said quickly, smiling wider. "Thank you very much."

"More than we can ever put into words, ma'am," Danny added. "If you _ever_ need our help, you just let us know."

"Definitely," Steve agreed quickly, smiling. "You know where to find us."

Judge Yamamoto smiled wider. "I'll keep that in mind, gentlemen." She nodded to them and then turned to walk quickly away down the hallway.

Danny and Steve watched her go for a moment before they looked at each other and then down at Grace, who was beaming happily up at them. Danny grinned at Grace and said cheerfully, "I don't know about you, Monkey, but I think it's time to go celebrate."

"Yes!" Grace agreed happily, still beaming. "Can we invite everyone over and barbecue on the beach? Pretty please?"

"Sounds perfect to me," Steve agreed, grinning as he looked at Danny.

"You know that means we have to go shopping first," Danny said with a laugh.

Steve grinned a little wider. "I like shopping with my two favorite people."

"Me too!" Grace agreed quickly.

Danny laughed and then waved towards the hallway. "What're we waiting for then? Let's get going!"

Grace giggled and grabbed Steve's hand and Danny's and then started back towards the side door where they came in, and they grinned at each other as they let her tow them along.

 

~*~*~

 

Rachel stared at the young man in a suit who had just walked up to the table where she and Stan were waiting for their dinner to be served. "I beg your pardon? Could you repeat that please?"

"I _said_ I was asked to deliver this to you on behalf of the Honolulu Family Court, Mrs. Edwards," the man replied, holding out a brown envelope.

Rachel finally accepted the envelope even though she had a horrible feeling about it. "What is this about?"

"I wasn't told," the young man replied, "I was just asked to see that you got that as soon as possible." He nodded to her, glancing at Stan to include him. "Have a good evening." He turned and walked away without waiting for a reply.

Rachel watched him go for a moment and then looked at the envelope, frowning. It was addressed to her there at the hotel and had no return address on it, and she just stared at it a few more moments before Stan said mildly, "It might help to open it."

Rachel glanced at Stan and then back at the envelope, finally turning it over to unfasten the metal brad holding it shut. "Yes, I suppose it would." She looked inside the envelope and then pulled out several sheets of paper, but she had only glanced over the top one for a moment before she froze and began reading again from the top. She scanned it quickly again, staring at the words 'reckless endangerment and neglect' for a moment before she continued reading until she saw 'revocation of custody' a little further down and the paper began to blur.

Stan frowned at how pale Rachel went before her eyes filled with tears and he reached for the papers, asking quietly, "Darling, what is it?"

Rachel just let him take the papers, too shocked and upset to even reply as she began to cry silently, staring down at the table in front of her. She had known Carletta had made mistakes in the past but she had believed it when Carletta promised never to drink or do drugs while she was caring for Grace, so it was a shock to realize Carletta had just been saying whatever she needed to say to get Rachel to hire her. The thought of Grace waking up all alone in the house with no idea where Carletta was or when she might return hurt almost as much as the realization that Rachel would have to beg _Danny_ if she wanted to see her daughter again.

Stan immediately started to read, his eyes widening as he read the letter from a Judge Janice Yamamoto saying that Rachel had been found guilty of reckless endangerment and neglect for leaving Grace in the custody of someone with a history of public drunkenness and drug use. It went on to say that Carletta Sahay had left Grace alone without warning while Grace was sleeping and then later the same day had been arrested after an officer witnessed her smoking marijuana in Stan's front yard. Rachel's custody rights had been revoked because of it and she was to be allowed visitation only at Danny and Steve's discretion for the next year, at which time Judge Yamamoto would be willing to reconsider the case only if _Grace_ wanted to make a change.

Stan glanced at the other pages, which were copies of the police report from Carletta's arrest at his house, a drug test Carletta had failed just before Rachel hired her, and two police reports for public intoxication during the previous year. After a few moments he set them aside as he looked at Rachel again and said quietly, "We'll fight it of course, darling. I'll call my lawyer first thing tomorrow and--"

"No, you won't," Rachel said softly, sounding surprisingly normal despite the tears on her face. She inhaled sharply, then lifted her napkin from her lap to dab carefully at her eyes as she added, "She'll be safer with Danny, and much happier."

Stan stared at her, shocked. "You're not going to fight Danny for her _at all_?"

"I think I've fought them both quite enough," Rachel replied softly. "I know that Grace wants desperately to live with her father, who loves her literally more than life, as does his husband, so this seems to be the solution that is needed. You've been wanting us to spend much more time here. This will make it easier for us all."

"I-- Wow," Stan murmured, still shocked.

Rachel met his gaze. "Am I wrong?"

"No," Stan replied, "but I never thought that you would admit it."

Rachel looked down again, moving her napkin back to her lap. "When Danny has had a few more days to cool off I'll call and ask if I might be allowed to see her." She sniffed again, tears beginning to slide down her face as she added softly, "Steve invited us to a luau on their beach for Labor Day last year. I can only hope he will do so again this year. That's only a few weeks away."

Stan looked at Rachel for a long moment before he said very softly, "I'm sorry, Rachel."

"I know," Rachel replied, giving him a sad smile that didn't get near her eyes as she offered him her hand. "It's for the best. She will be happier."

Stan reached for her hand, at a loss for words. He couldn't truthfully deny it but he didn't want to agree either so he just stayed silent as he held on to her hand and hoped that Danny would take pity on Rachel very soon and let her see her daughter.

 

~ End


End file.
